Atoning 'til Serenity
by ToraTsuin
Summary: [K.O.] AU. Character Death. Don't split apart. That's the general rule to follow during an apocalypse. But they didn't comply to that rule, and now they must suffer the consequences.


**A/N:** Hello people of TLR fandom. There are relatively few fanfics on this site pertaining to this great game, so here's my (crummy) contribution! Unfortunately, it's an AU, an apocalypse AU, so there isn't any fluffy goodness. Hopefully I'll be back into the groove of writing so there might be more fanfics out there, eventually.

Also, I'm sorry if David seems OOC. The choices he made probably aren't what he would have done. But hey, this is an AU-time to go crazy.I do hope you enjoy nevertheless!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own The Last Remnant or its characters.

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><p>David looked out of his peripheral vision to see a glimpse of aged blood staining the wall before refocusing to the scene in front of him. The stench of rotted flesh permeated the air as he entered a larger area; he brought the gun within his grasp closer to his person while stepping over what seemed to be a corpse that had a familiar knife rammed into its skull. Questions began to swirl in his mind as he thought over what could have happened to his friend when they had gotten separated inside this maze of a ruined library.<p>

o-~0~-o

They had only come here with a relatively easy mission in mind: to retrieve an easy-to-understand medical book that could enlighten their inexperienced minds in the case one of them were to be injured. Even with all the dust that caked every nook and cranny of the building – and the decaying bodies that littered the many floors – nothing had changed their minds. The mother figure of their group, Emma, had recently died of an infection from what should have been a minor wound. From that, he was determined on preventing any similar casualties.

Though they had only been exploring the abandoned library for a few minutes before there had been some suspicious sounds that had caught their attention. His friend (as brave and foolish as he was) offered to go ahead and find the cause of the mysterious thumping. He had promised he would return immediately if there were any sign of trouble.

Thinking back on that now, David should have gone along. It was never a good idea to split up, and this building was too easy to get lost in; with all these open rooms and side halls, it's a lost cause to memorize the layout. Each bookshelf he passed looked the same as every other in his eyes, with the occasional pile of clutter and carmine stains as the few exceptions.

o-~0~-o

He doesn't know how long it has been since they've split up. But just as he had passed the second floor staircase, blurred movement from up ahead caught his attention. Stepping quickly, he continued down the hallway until rounding a corner and into a long corridor.

"Rush, is that you?" He whispered after a moment's hesitation, hope and fear beginning to stir in the pit of his stomach. The action was risky, of course – making a single sound when whatever was moving could've been an enemy. Just being here –within closed walls and an enclosed space by oneself – was a gamble of death in the making. Warning bells inside his head began to ring as he slowed until he was quietly shuffling forward in the dim hallway. The grim-covered, cracked windows to the right provided little illumination, and the old hang lights above swayed uselessly to the rhythm of an invisible breeze as he continued forward.

Was Rush attempting to pull another prank? It was like the other boy to do so – last week he had snuck up behind them after they surveyed a raidedWal-Mart. Although David had only staged a monotone scream in response (Rush wasn't the quietest of walkers), the others in their group had raced toward them. When they found the two clutching their sides, leaning on the near-empty shelves, the moment of utter confusion had driven even more laughter from their foolish teenage humor.

But this ominous feeling growing inside of him tore an apprehensive shudder from his body.

He had to find Rush soon.

o-~0~-o

It has been approximately thirty minutes since this feeling began to build. This feeling that made him lurch at the movement of his own shadow – it's gotten to the point where his objective was no longer the medical book. He had to find Rush and leave this place.

The dubious noise from earlier, now louder, began to sound like the familiar walk of a limp.

He ventured forward once again. His heart raced.

o-~0~-o

While treading as cautiously as he possibly could, David came to a halt in front of a large set of double doors at the end of the hallway. He found this odd, as all the other doors he passed were left ajar. Maybe this was a good sign, because nothing other than human can close doors. It must be from Rush. _It had to be._

"Rush?" he called out once more, desperately hoping the other would reply. The noises paused. The world was suddenly silent.

David took that as a response and nudged the door open nervously.

A body was laid out in the middle of the room. A pack of the Undead was crowding around it as they gnawed at its flesh with unhinged jaws, turning the blood-splattered skin into shreds that barely hung onto what was left of the body.

Splotches of red littered the small area as the rotten monsters feasted messily. Clumps of black hair have been ripped right from of the scalp; one creature in particular kept handfuls in a slack grasp with mangled hands.

His head grew light as he continued looking at the unfortunate corpse with growing dread. Familiar, unseeing eyes continued looking past him. Those dead, grey eyes that still held the tint of fear and horror that came before the feasting.

The mastication of tissue resounded inside his head after a new realization, forcing the smacking noises to swell inside his head until it seemed as if he was watching the scene before him in a daze.

But the _snap_ of bone was too real to be heard in a dream, and that ugly sound was what broke him out of his petrified trance.

The tanned blond finally regained some sort of sense after the daunting crack; he knew he would be next. His mind remained stone blank as he brought his gun to level with the Undead who held pieces of Rush's scalp. He shot it – not once, but twice – before moving onto the next one. Then the next one, followed by another.

The ones who weren't subjected to his rain of bullets snapped their heads in his direction like a whip as one after another of their own had fallen. Once the click of an empty bullet chamber was heard, he spun on his heel and darted out of the room

He was going to die.

Instinct drove him as his feet pounded against the wooden flooring, running further into the labyrinth. He could hear the running mess of steps that the Undead were producing. They were gaining speed. _Or was he losing momentum?_

Somewhere along the sprint, he felt the gun slip from his fingers. The old revolver had been passed down through his family – but now it was nothing but a dull _clang_ against the floor.

More of the Undead joined in the chase behind them. More scattered steps along with their prominent stink.

But he was running into a dead-end.

Thoughts racing, his fingers brushed against the closest brass knob and tightened around it, swinging the door open.

More Undead poured out, trapping David between them and the herd behind him.

Grotesque hands soon grabbed at his shoulders, arms, and legs. The feeling of dozens of blunt yellowed teeth dug into his skin, ripping out chucks of flesh.

Instead of the scene in front of him, however, David could still see Rush laughing alongside him, lips peeled back into his favorite, mirthful smile. His black hair barely dusting above his eyes – eyes that were usually such a bright grey was uncharacteristically darkened, empty. They were the eyes of his friend who had suffered while he was wandering behind.

In hindsight, he knew that soon his body would be in the same shape as Rush's. He knew he should be horrified, struggling to escape and die in one piece, at the very least. He'll be all but scraps and nothing but another stain on the floor at this rate. But somehow, the thought brought an overwhelming sense of peace. His body was limp, mind wandering.

He will die as Rush had.


End file.
